“I lost five council members when I tried to introduce changes.” This raw admission from a church leader captures the very real challenges of guiding congregations through transition today. It’s one of several powerful questions addressed in a recent Q&A episode of the Pivot Podcast, where hosts Alicia Granholm, Dwight Zscheile, and Terri Elton tackled the tough realities of leading change in churches.
For leaders wrestling with how to move congregations forward faithfully, here are key insights from their conversation:
Start with Why: Building Motivation for Change
When faced with resistance to change, many leaders’ first instinct is to push harder. But as Dwight points out, the deeper issue often lies in theological identity: “A lot of churches are stuck in doing what they have always done, even though it’s not working… because they really aren’t clear about their story, their theological identity, and how it’s different from the other stories that are out there in the culture.”
Terri offered a practical tool for addressing this: the “five whys” exercise. “Take whatever the thing is and five times ask people ‘why?'” she explained. This simple practice helps surface deeper motivations and connections to faith that might not be immediately apparent. For example, when exploring why a young couple wants their baby baptized, the conversation might move from “because we were baptized” to deeper revelations about faith, community, and God’s role in their lives.
Discernment: Moving Beyond Quick Fixes
One listener asked the perennial question: “How do you know when you have actually discerned what God wants of you?” Alicia emphasized two key elements: “trusting in God’s faithfulness to lead and guide us today and having the humility to continue to be led.”
The hosts pointed to Acts 16 as a biblical model for discernment, where Paul and his companions experienced both closed doors and clear direction. Nobody reads it and says, ‘My gosh, what failures… why couldn’t they just have ended up at Lydia right away?'” Alicia noted. Part of our journey with God is really about who we become on the way. It’s not about the destination.”
Structuring Change Efforts Effectively
When it comes to who should lead change efforts, the hosts emphasized the importance of both dedicated teams and broader congregation engagement. Dwight recommended “having a dedicated team on the side that can really forefront the experimental work” while also thinking about how to introduce practices more broadly.
Importantly, this work should be lay-driven rather than adding to clergy workload. As Dwight explained, “Pretty much all the pastors we know don’t need one more thing to manage.” Instead, clergy can focus on spiritual leadership while lay leaders organize and manage the process.
Building Trust Through Story and Lament
For newer leaders facing past congregational hurt, the hosts emphasized the importance of storytelling and listening. “Leadership begins with listening,” Dwight noted, quoting colleague Scott Cormode. “If people feel like you haven’t heard their story or don’t care about them, they’re not going to trust you.”
At the same time, they encouraged leaders not to wait on important practices like lament. “I wouldn’t just put lament on the shelf until you feel like you’ve built trust,” Alicia advised. She suggested starting with individual practices of lament while building toward corporate expressions.
Terri shared a powerful example of using structured storytelling circles, where people listen for different elements – facts, feelings, and values – in each other’s stories. This practice helps build understanding and trust while creating space for deeper sharing at whatever level people are comfortable.
Moving Forward Faithfully
The conversation revealed a crucial truth about leading change in churches today: it’s not about having all the answers or finding quick fixes. Instead, it’s about creating space for holy listening – to God, to each other, and to the neighborhoods we serve. When we do this work together, trusting in God’s faithfulness while maintaining humility about our own understanding, we create the conditions for genuine transformation.
For leaders feeling stuck or discouraged in the change process, this episode offers both practical tools and spiritual encouragement. The path forward may not be straight or simple, but we walk it together, guided by the One who is always doing a new thing in our midst.